Chain tool



g 18, 9 F. A. OLMSTEAD 1,819,520

CHAIN TOOL Filed Oct. 27, 1926' 2- 1G. 9 gwuentoz Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PATEONTO'OFFICE" FREDRICK A. OLMSTEAD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHAIN PRODUCTS. I

COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO,1A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

, forum TOOL Application filed October 27, 19 25. 'Sc'ria1"N0. 144,460.

This invention relates to chain tools and particularly to tools intended for openmg, closing and cutting chain links, especlally such as are commonly employed in chains of automobile non-skid tire devices; and the invention comprises generally improvements in the device disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 117,100, filed June 19, 1926, now issued as Patent No. 1,732,654,

0 dated October 22, 1929.

The above named operations are frequent ly necessary in servicing chains of the type to which reference has been made and numerous tools have been devised for the purpose, both hand tools of a strictly portable nature, and tools adapted to be secured u on a bench or the like as is the tool describe in my copending application identified above. In the construction of all of such tools are necessarily incorporated a plurality of link manipulating members intended for selective use, although usually all of these members are closed or opened in their normally functioning manner by relative movement of the pair of operating members customari ly provided. In an organization such as described, owing to carelessness or intended rapidity of operation of the tool, occasionally a portion of a chain not intended to be worked upon will find a position between a pair of the link manipulating members other than the pair selected and the chain is thus accidentally damaged as by deformation or -even in some cases severance.

* It is the object of my invention, therefore, to produce a chain tool wherein closing of the most dangerous portion of the tool, that is the cutting jaws, is produced by a motion 7 of the operating portion of the tool, that is 40 the handled member or members, which is distinct from that required for effecting the remaining of the several functions of the tool. Another object of my invention is to produce a conformation of the various link -manipulating members that they shall be capable of functioning with the utmost efiiciency. A still further object of my invention is to so arrange the several parts of the tool that all of the operations for which the tool is designed may be accomplished with the greatest convenience and safety to the operator, and to this'end, in which all of the link manipulating or working membersshall be positioned within'easy accessibility and view of the operator from a common direction, as in front of the tool. A stillfurther object of the invention is to' produce by the said, arrangement of parts a suitable lever age whereby great-ease of manipulation will] result. r r v v The exact nature of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with-the accompanying drawingsinwhich Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the tool showing a link in position thereon to be closed in secured relation with'a second link which-appears; Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the tool; and Fig. 3 is a view alongthe plane of line 3-3, Fig. 1. j

'The tool comprises primarily apair'of jaws consisting ofabase member 1, adapted in the example chosen for illustration to be secured upon-a bench=or the like, and a handled operating member 2 comprising a longlarm,ia bend, and a short armor 'halfround hook: in pivotal connection with the base at 3, and thus attached for relative movement therewith. The member 2 is thus of a generalL-shape and close to the bend. carries' a bill/1 adapted for cooperation with a similar. bill 4 mounted. upon the base asindicated, and-a member .5 adapted for cooperation with a member 5' secured upon the base. .Within the base is secured aucutting jaw. 6 adapted for cooperation with a similar cutting jaw 6 pivotally mounted upon the base at 7 and connected by the links 8 i with. the member 2, as indicated. y

The bills 4, 4 are of generally conical conformation but provided each with a cylindrical surface 9, 9 concentric with the point 3 so that. the-bills are adapted as they are closed one upon the other to cooperate ,to present a generally cylindrical outer. surface of increasing diameter, whereby an eye of a, link positioned upon the member 4 will upon forward and downward movement of the lever 2 be spread and thus opened, f v

The upper'face of the member 5 as indicated'is of conformation to receive a'chain link A and position the same in the plane of the members land 2, the longitudinally extending upstanding portions 10 laterally positioning the link, the upstanding curved portion 11 longitudinally positioning the link, and the whole supportng the link clear of the hill 4'. The member 5 is also provided laterally with positioning extensions 12; the whole arrangement being such that action of the member 5 upon forward motion of the lever 2 against the link A so positioned on the member 5 will efi ect closing of the link in secured relation with the link B. The forward face of the member 5 is cut away as indicated to clear a link positioned upon the bill 4 and to clear the base portion of the bill at when closed thereupon.

The arrangement of the jaws 6 and 6? is such thatthe jaws are closed when the lever 2 is upstanding, as in Fig. l, and therefore when the members 4, 4L and 5, 5 are most widely separated, this being the relation of the parts. when chain links to be worked upon are positioned upon either of the members 4: or 5. The links 8 extend between pivotal connections at the points 13 and 14 with the lever 2 and the jaw .6 respectively, the arrangementbei-ng that of a toggle such that the points 3 and 1 are most nearly in line with the point 13 when jaws 6 and 6' are closed, whereby the jaws are closed by upward movement of the member 2 and with increasing leverage. The workin edges of the jaws 6. and 5. are slightly roun ed in sec-. tion as indicated-in Fig. 2, whereby they are capable of crunching through the case hardened surface of a link placed between theml and severing the link by a squeezing action.

What I claim is: v

A bench tool for severing and manipulating the links of tire chains and the like comprising .a base adapted to besecured to a suitable support, relatively movable "seven in-g jaws extending and opening beyond the base, relatively movable link spreading and closing jaws above the severing jaws and opening in the same direction as the severing jaws, a single operating member having movement in the plane of the jaws, operative connections between said member and the link spreading and closing jaws causing them to close with movement of the operating member in one direction, and connections'between the operating member and the severing jawsjto cause them to open with the closing movement of the other jaws, whereby when oneset of said jaws is opening, the other is closing and vice versa '2. In a chain tool, a base member adapted to be secured on a support, a link working member mounted upon said base, an operating lever pivoted on said base behind said link working member. to swing forwardly and carrying a second link working member FREDRIOK A. OLMSTEAD.

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